“Don’t tell her about any of us turning into wolves…please?” I really didn’t want our mother to know about the magical side of this town. I had the feeling that she wouldn’t take it well. I always had the feeling that she knew more than she was letting on, but was preferring not to believe in it.
“I won’t tell her anything about anybody,” she promised resolutely. “And I won’t tell her that we let him in to stay warm—and I won’t tell her about the smelly book that you kept under your bed, either.”
I had been walking toward the door, but I stopped in my tracks. “Just how much do you know, kid?”
“I know lots of stuff,” she answered, gaily skipping down the stairs. “I lost Fred the other day and looked in your room.”
“Why would your teddy bear be in my room, much less under my bed?”
“I dunno. Mom was busy and couldn’t look, so she told me to look everywhere, so I did.”
“You didn’t touch that book did you?” I asked. “You’ve got to promise not to ever touch it. It’s a very old book…a very important book.” And a very dangerous book, I added inwardly, thankful that she had happened upon it after the spell on it had been changed.
“I’m not touching it, I promise. It’s ugly, icky, and smelly.” She scrunched up her nose in disgust. “Why do you have it, anyway, Nikki?”
I sighed. “I have to keep it safe for someone until she gets back. I promised I would keep it a secret. So now you have to promise not to ever touch it or tell anyone about it, okay?”
“Okay, I won’t. I promise.” She looked at me solemnly, giving me her best no-nonsense look.
It’ll have to do, I thought. I shook my head and went on to the door and motioned to Swift Foot, who was beginning to resemble a snowman.
“Come on in. There’s no reason for you to stay outside,” I told him as he came up on the porch. “You can guard us better if you aren’t frozen,” I added, when he opened his mouth to object.
He came in and stopped in mid-step as his golden eyes locked on the little girl behind me.
“This is my little sister. Her name is Emily. Em, this is Swift Foot. He’s…” I paused, trying to think up the best way to explain the centuries-old man standing in our foyer.
“He’s the Wolf,” Emily cut in, giving Swift Foot a bright, friendly smile.
“Um…yeah. He is,” I said, unsure of exactly how much she knew.
“I am honored to meet you, Emily,” Swift Foot said, returning a small, polite smile. “I thank you for allowing me to come inside.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to watch television and eat popcorn. You can sit with me,” she announced as she crossed over and took him by the hand and led him to the living room. I bit my lip to keep from grinning at the shocked expression on Swift Foot’s face as my seven year-old little sister directed him to the sofa and made him sit down. Wielding the remote like a professional movie critic, Emily began flipping channels in an effort to find some of her favorite shows while Swift Foot’s eyes got rounder and rounder.
He’d managed to avoid humanity for hundreds of years and had seemed more wolf than human, but now I was betting that before the night was out, Emily was going to change that. I couldn’t fight the grin on my face for any longer. “I’ll go get the popcorn.”
WE SUBJECTED SWIFT FOOT to the wonders of Walt Disney for several hours until Emily nodded off, her head on his shoulder. I hadn’t realized that she had fallen asleep, until I noticed that his attention had left the screen and now rested on the top of Emily’s dark curls.
“Sorry,” I said, dusting a few popcorn kernels off my lap before I reached over to wake her up to go upstairs to bed.
“No, let her sleep,” he said, stopping my hand. “I will carry her, if you will show me the way.”
“Okay.” I hopped up and led him to Emily’s room.
Once she was safely tucked in, I walked him back downstairs and went to the closet in the hallway. I took out a blanket and pillow and handed it to him. “I’m heading to bed, too. The couch is pretty comfortable, if you’d like to give it a try,” I hinted, pointing to the place we had vacated. It wasn’t a bed by any means, but I was certain that it would beat the floor, which is where I honestly figured he would choose to sleep.
He gave me a nod of thanks and turned to go back to the living room, but just as he reached the couch, he turned back. “I want to thank you for this. You’ve given me something that I had thought was lost.” He paused, and then gave me a small, sad smile. “You have reminded me what it is to be human.
SHE LEFT HIM, standing with his arms full of soft bed things. The Wolf wasn’t accustomed to such things. He eyed the thing she had called a couch dubiously, and then set the blanket and pillow down on the floor. He knew he would feel better there than anywhere else.
The coverings on the window were open, letting the moonlight spill in. It stirred his heart and so he stood in the Moon’s light and stared up into the sky. It felt strange watching Shining Star through the panes of glass. Not quite as strange as his preceding hours of looking at the thing that had been named television, but still odd all the same. He was used to the open air, and the sheet of glass felt like another layer of space blocking him from the one he loved.
I have to get out of here. The thought zinged through his head, causing his heart to race. He began pacing in the faint strip of light that fell on the floor. Two steps one way, turn, two steps the other.
I need out. I’m trapped. As soon as the words registered in his mind, he stopped pacing, recognizing his wolf’s mentality.
I need to run…I need the moonlight. He took a step back so that he stood directly in the path of the light, which seemed to calm him. He smiled in spite of himself. It was possible that the girl hadn’t taken as much of his magic as he had thought. He shook his head. No, it was more likely that she had just awakened more of his humanity than anyone else had in a very long time. That was it, because otherwise he would be pacing this floor on four legs instead of two.
He willed himself to be completely still and took in a long, cleansing breath. He glanced at the staircase on the opposite side of the room. They were in his charge—his to keep. He would ensure their safety, even if it meant wearing out the wooden boards beneath his feet as he paced.
He cocked his head to the side, listening for any movement from above. Nothing but silence met his ears, as he turned back to look out the window. The feeling of entrapment had subsided, leaving him with a resigned feeling that settled over him like a heavy weight.
Leaning against the wall, he looked back up at the Moon and became lost in memories of the one who reminded him of the girl he now guarded.
His white haired creature had sat with him for many nights, so many that he had grown accustomed to her presence each time the sun set. He watched her on that final night as she came out from the village to sit with him in their usual place. For the first time he noticed how slow her steps had become, how feeble her body had grown.
His white-haired creature’s body had grown old, but her spirit had not.
She more or less collapsed on the bench near the spot where he sat. She smiled at him, and patted the fur between his ears. The smile, he noticed, didn’t reach her blue eyes. Something was wrong, and he knew it was more than the sadness that they always shared under the night sky.
He gently butted his head against her knee, a silent combination of both question and comfort.
It was then she told him of her dream—of a girl with spiraling curls and a boy with golden eyes—and their fate.
Then, she asked the words that he hadn’t wanted to hear. “The gift you gave me when I was a little girl,” she said softly. “Can it be taken back?”
He’d lifted his head to look at her and whined, wondering why she would ask him such a question. He had been certain that the strength her wolf gave her was the only thing keeping her upright—the only thing that was keeping her alive.
“I wish them happiness. Ma
y my life end, but I would have them happy. I would have the spirit of the White Wolf stay and give them strength.”
He had done as she wished. The blue amulet around his neck had glowed with magic as he had released the wolf’s magic from her and wished it to stay for the one she held in her dreams.
He had sat with her on her last night, knowing that when dawn came, once again he would be alone.
And now he guarded the girl whom his white-haired creature had given her life for. The Wolf braced his arms on either side of the window and leaned his forehead against the pane of glass, staring out at the forest, toward the place where he had sat for years at night to watch the sky.
He had missed his white-haired creature dreadfully—for a very long time. He knew that she had given her life in courage and honor, but that hadn’t made his loneliness lessen. She had known her purpose, and had stayed true to the end. Now, he would have to do the same.
He smiled at the irony that his white-haired creature had given her life to protect the same girl that he was now protecting. Time always had a way of repeating itself if you lived long enough.
A movement at the edge of the forest caught his eye—a dark streak that flitted through the trees like a demon, landing on a branch near the clearing of the yard.
A crow shook out its feathers before it hopped from the branch to one closer. Against the stark whiteness of the snow, the black bird stood out in contrast as it continued to hop from one branch to the next, seemingly trying to find a way to get as near to the house as possible.
The Wolf heard the girl upstairs stir. He heard a low growl, realizing belatedly that it came from his own throat.
The crow moved out onto a branch and the moonlight caught its face, illuminating a silver scar that ran down one side of its head.
It was time, he realized. Now was his time to protect her. He left the window and unlocked the front door, quietly closing it behind him, hoping surprise would be in his favor.
As he reached the tree that held the crow, it saw him and flew back into the forest. He ran after Crow Woman, knowing that soon, he would finish what he had started.
Chapter 9
THE DREAM WAS back again, replaying nearly the same as it had the time before. I immediately knew that I was dreaming and instead of standing in the meadow of fog, waiting for it to end, I decided to rush my nightmare along.
I shifted to my wolf and ran down the path to the Deadland, knowing that I would find Crow Woman. As I hurried through the fog, a new thought came to me—could I change reality through this dream? Could I fight her here? What if I could end her life in a dream—would it become true once I woke up?
The Deadland’s trees loomed in front of me. I was close. I could feel her presence.
I stepped into the Deadland, expecting branches to snag and roots to trip me as they had always managed to do before…this time they didn’t. It was as if they didn’t even realize that I was there.
It’s just a dream, I reminded myself. If I was standing, awake, in a Deadland, all sorts of things would have happened by now.
I began wishing that at least one tree would notice my presence; otherwise the odds of me changing anything—of controlling anything now, wouldn’t happen.
I felt Crow Woman’s presence before I saw her. The atmosphere changed. While it hadn’t been welcoming to begin with, now the very air seemed to be charged with something dark and sinister.
She came into view on the opposite end of the Deadland.
I began trotting toward her. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do once I reached her, but I knew that I had to do something. There had to be a reason that I was here again.
She laughed. It was an evil sound that echoed in the space between us.
She knows I’m here, I thought, quickening my pace. Then, the unexpected happened. A root from a nearby tree zipped out and caught one of my front paws and sent me sprawling.
I shook my head, trying to get rid of a mouthful of dirt, and stood, ready to run again, when branches and roots came at me from every direction. I dodged back and forth, jumped up and down, and finally made it closer to Crow Woman. I could see her clearly…she was so close…
I tensed my muscles, ready to attack, when she turned to face me. But it wasn’t the woman standing in front of me that caused me to falter…
It was the body of the boy lying on the ground behind her.
“NIKKI, WAKE UP!” Emily stood at the side of my bed, shaking my shoulder as hard as she could.
I opened a single eye and looked at her. Her eyes were big and round, as if she had seen something terrible. Now wide awake, I sat up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to shake off the remnants of my own nightmare in order to think clearly.
She looked around my room and then back at me. “This is what’s wrong. I heard something strange and came in here to see if you were okay. You were growling in your sleep, and this stuff was everywhere.”
I looked down and saw leaves and bits of tree branches strewn on the floor and on my bed. My dreams seemed to be becoming more real every time.
“It’s all right,” I told her, trying not to let her see that it had shaken me up, too.
“How did all of this stuff get in here?” she asked, crinkling up her nose.
“I’m not sure. I had a nightmare about trees attacking me,” I said truthfully.
“You did this?” Her mouth opened in surprise.
I sighed and pushed some of the branches out of the way and dusted a few leaves off the blanket next to me, and then gave it a light pat. “Come on up here and sit for a minute. There are some things that I think you should know.”
I didn’t leave anything out. I started at the beginning and told Emily about the Keepers, and then about my being the Seer. Then, I gave her an overview of my latest adventures, including the book, Swift Foot, and my nightmares—including the one I had just had, which explained the state of my bedroom.
“Wow,” she said, shaking her head. “And Mom doesn’t know anything about any of this?”
“Nope. Can we keep it that way?”
“Yes. I don’t think she could handle all of that. I won’t tell her anything, I promise.” Emily made a little sign over her chest. “Cross my heart.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Em.”
“So what are you going to do to help Swift Foot? You’ve got to find a way to un-trap Shining Star and get them back together.”
Out of all of the questions that I had expected to pop out of her mouth, that one wasn’t one of them. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But if I can find a way to help him, I will. Speaking of which, we should go downstairs and check on him.”
“I already went down before I came in here,” Emily told me. When I didn’t say anything, she shrugged and added, “I thought I might need a grown-up with me.”
“You were right to get back-up. Where is he?”
“I dunno. There’s a blanket and pillow folded up on the floor. He’s not down there. It’s stopped snowing, so I guess he went home.”
I rolled my eyes. Apparently Swift Foot hadn’t taken my advice on the comfy couch and opted for the hard floor instead. But I had no idea when or why he had left.
“I’ll help you pick up the mess in here,” Emily offered. “It’ll be hard explaining it to Mom if she comes home and sees it.”
“Thanks,” I said, hopping up to begin putting my room to rights. My brain was on overload.
My little sister was correct in many ways. I hadn’t thought of trying to find a way to release Shining Star from the moon. My thoughts ran more to getting Swift Foot out of the Wolf’s body. I had been thinking about it all wrong. Perhaps now I would be able to find a way to help him.
I stepped on a branch and it crackled beneath my weight. Emily was also right about our mother. There were many things that she would never understand—the fact that my nightmares were becoming real was one of them.
“You know, your face really scrunches up when
you think. I can always tell when you are worrying about something,” Emily said, a mischievous smile lighting up her small face.
“I’ve had a lot to worry about lately.”
“It’ll be all right. I’ll help you now that I know what’s wrong,” she said simply. “I’m going to get the broom out of the bathroom closet. I’ll be right back.” And with that, she skipped out of the room, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
If only I could be that optimistic, I thought wryly.
She bounced back into the room a moment later and we finished cleaning up. Just as we tossed the last leaf away, someone began pounding on the front door, and I had a quick flash of the last seconds of my nightmare—the body lying on the ground behind Crow Woman.
I turned to Emily. “Go to your room and get dressed, okay? I’m going to see who is at the door.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed in suspicion for a second, before she nodded and headed down the hallway. I waited until her door shut before I went down the stairs.
“Nikki? You in there?” A muffled, decidedly feminine voice came through the front door. Well, that’s unexpected, I thought, stopping before I opened the door. I was certain that whoever it was standing on the other side was coming to tell me something had happened to Adam. I had expected Erik or Ed’s voice, not…
“Tori?” I asked cautiously, going on my tiptoes to peek through the glass pane near the top of the door. Sure enough, my best friend stood on the front porch, shivering in the snow, a huge smile on her face.
I unbolted the door, threw it open wide, and tackled Tori in a huge hug, noticing that Brian stood behind her, grinning. “You have no idea how happy I am that it’s you!” I said, as the feeling of dread that had weighed heavy in my belly disappeared.
“Well, who’d you expect?” she asked, as she gave me a tight squeeze and pulled back to take a look at me. “The way you said that, I’d say you were expecting something awful out here.”
The Keeper Saga: Wynter's War, Charmed, and The One (The Boxed Set Book 2) Page 10